MLB The Show 21 Check Swings - Love it or Hate it?

[NYJin2011tm]

Re: Check swings

I hope it doesn’t get touched because at least I’m striking out some now. Previous years I was barely striking, once or twice a game. Now it’s between 5-10 a game. I will say in the beginning it was mostly strikes when I checked. Now I don’t know if I’m adjusting or it’s coincidence but it’s been more 50-50 when I check.

[doubledeuceR6]

Re: Check swings

I like the change so far. I just wish the animation would match the outcome. There are times when the animation says I clearly checked but don't get the call.

It's definitely a change for the better though.

[Rmiok222]

Re: Check swings

I am okay with a change, but it isn’t realistic when it gets called a strike 95% of the time. May as well just remove the mechanic altogether.

Interesting to see opinions. To each his own obviously. Sadly they’d never be able to make all of us happy lol. I feel like my check swing rate success is happening at a realistic clip. Like if I press X and back off right when my swing starts it’s usually NOT a swing, which to me, seems realistic.

Flip side is when I commit longer to X than a light tap it’s usually a swing, which to me...seems pretty realistic too.

I can see how some people wouldn’t like it though. Me striking out last year was an absolute rarity. I’m talking maybe 3-6 Ks a game against me at MOST. Thats why I enjoy it more. I didn’t notice how much of a crutch check swing was to me last year. I never swung at balls in the dirt or sliders outside of the zone because I was almost always able to successfully check swing.


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[knucklecutter]

Re: Check swings

I hope it doesn’t get touched because at least I’m striking out some now. Previous years I was barely striking, once or twice a game. Now it’s between 5-10 a game. I will say in the beginning it was mostly strikes when I checked. Now I don’t know if I’m adjusting or it’s coincidence but it’s been more 50-50 when I check.

How good you are at the game and the difficulty level you play at has nothing to do with check swings. If you think the games too easy then up the difficulty and the pitch speeds or lower the timing slider.


That said, I firmly believe that once the ball crosses a certain distance on the way to the plate it's too late and the batter will go around no matter how lightning fast you are at trying to check up. I've been trying to check over and over again with directional inputs and just a very fast tap on the button at the beginning of a pitch I can get the guys shoulder to flinch, but once the ball has gotten close to the plate he goes around every time. Somewhere in the middle there has to be a point of no return and when you attempt to check very close to either side of that invisible line, that's when it appears to be 50-50 or more like 90-10 for the user.


Edit: My testing has been on HOF with max pitch speeds.

[Fours]

Re: Check swings

I hope it doesn’t get touched because at least I’m striking out some now. Previous years I was barely striking, once or twice a game. Now it’s between 5-10 a game. I will say in the beginning it was mostly strikes when I checked. Now I don’t know if I’m adjusting or it’s coincidence but it’s been more 50-50 when I check.

Exactly this.

I play on all star because it feels most balanced, and I used to strike out 1 or 2 times per game. Now I'm locked in to prevent getting down 0-2, 1-2 since they took away the tool that prevented so many strike outs. This also increases my walks.

My hitting mostly matches last years game, but a bunch of 2 strike hits by sluggers who have no right to suddenly have a perfect approach in a bad count have turned to strike outs making my hitting stats much more realistic.

My only worry is that I'm getting better at checking my swing, and my phenomenal thumb skills might offset the excellent change they made to check swings.

[Detroit Tigers]

Re: Check swings

I believe they made this change because online players complained that it was too easy and unrealistic to see players check swing regularly 3 or 4 times in a single at bat.



I feel like they overcompensated with the fix though

Agreed and I can also see this is as something they patch pretty quick. They made it about 35% too difficult or thereabouts. Agreed it was too easy last year but just dial it back a notch. I think most players agree.

[Tendonitis]

Re: Check swings

What does the discipline stat do now? Specifically for RTTS I suppose.

[Detroit Tigers]

Re: Check swings

What does the discipline stat do now? Specifically for RTTS I suppose.

I guess absolutely nothing, unfortunately. Thanks competitive crowd! [emoji1303]

[sva91]

Re: Check swings

I think it’s perfect. If you check early on a breaking ball/changeup, you have time to pull back. Fastballs; not so much. I really hope they don’t tweak it.


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[dubplate]

Re: Check swings

Interesting to see opinions. To each his own obviously. Sadly they’d never be able to make all of us happy lol. I feel like my check swing rate success is happening at a realistic clip. Like if I press X and back off right when my swing starts it’s usually NOT a swing, which to me, seems realistic.

Flip side is when I commit longer to X than a light tap it’s usually a swing, which to me...seems pretty realistic too.

I can see how some people wouldn’t like it though. Me striking out last year was an absolute rarity. I’m talking maybe 3-6 Ks a game against me at MOST. Thats why I enjoy it more. I didn’t notice how much of a crutch check swing was to me last year. I never swung at balls in the dirt or sliders outside of the zone because I was almost always able to successfully check swing.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

I agree. And like I said, I’m okay with the change, but it seems to be a little too far to one side.

I agree with what you and others are saying about striking out, though. It is nice to see my strikeouts per game increase since it seemed to be a rarity in the past.

[Fours]

Re: Check swings

I think it’s perfect. If you check early on a breaking ball/changeup, you have time to pull back. Fastballs; not so much. I really hope they don’t tweak it.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

It's more that if you're early and you didn't like the release you can shut it down, but if you're late and throwing a catch up swing, you're not stopping it. How would that even make sense?

There are so many aspects of baseball that they've missed badly on, but check swing logic is not one of them. Actually the pitch speed representation is probably the real issue. The real difference between 100mph heat and an 80mph curve is 100ms, ya, .1 seconds. In this game you can order a pizza between those two pitches.

[GeorgiaDawg34]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Check Swings - Love it or Hate it?

I actually like how it's called now....In years pass I barely ever got called for a strike and it felt a little like a cheat code now I've been called stike 3 in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on 3rd and loved it.

[ChaseB]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Check Swings - Love it or Hate it?

I love the change overall, but this should not be surprising because I talked about it a lot in the lead up to the reveal for hitting this year.

I do think more work needs to go into the visual feedback for check swings and when they're called/not called still, but the gameplay mechanic itself was a very good quality of life tweak.

[Caulfield]

Re: MLB The Show 21 Check Swings - Love it or Hate it?

I've picked a side and I'm solidly in it: love it or hate it, I'm in the indifferent camp. I'm fine with check swings being untethered to discipline this year and I'm also fine going back and playing with the 20 check swings. or the check swings in 14.
truth is, I'm a terrible hitter w/poor discipline so check swings really isn't in my vernacular. when I decide to swing, I'm all in. I'm not going to try to stop once I've committed to a swing. let'er rip tater chip. if I go down swinging so be it. even though they're not alike, I treat at-bats like appetites. if I ruin one, there will be another behind it sooner or later

[ncaajunkie]

love it.  i felt like last year and for a while, it was op in online games, way to easy flor legends and diamonds, people would be fooled by the pitch and say man i tried to swing at a ball in the dirt, .so i don't get a strike out and have to keep pitching